1 . I’d done it before, and so I had no reason to believe that this time would be any different. I was sure that when I returned home from my mission trip, as always, I’d bring back nothing more than some mud on my boots, a hole or two in my jeans and, of course, a lot of great memories.

The summer before my high school graduation, I went to West Virginia with others as volunteers to repair the homes of those in need. Arriving at our destination, my group was assigned the task of rebuilding sections of a home that had been damaged by fire. No sooner had we parked on the home’s dirt driveway than we saw an excited little girl, no more than six years old, standing in the doorway of the family’s temporary home. Shoeless and wearing dirty clothes and the biggest smile I’d ever seen, she yelled, “Ma, Ma, they really came!” I didn’t know it then, but her name was Dakota, and four more days would pass before she’d say another word near me.

Behind Dakota was a woman in a wheelchair — her grandmother, we’d soon learn. I also discovered that my job that week would be to help change a fire-damaged dining room into a bedroom for this little girl. Over the following days, I noticed Dakota peeking at us every now and then as we worked. A few times, I tried talking with her, but she remained shy and distant, always flying around us like a tiny butterfly but keeping to herself.

By our fifth and final day, however, this was about to change. Before I went to work on her home on that last morning, I spoke for a moment or two with the grandmother. I was especially pleased when she told me how much Dakota loved her new room — so much. As we talked, I noticed something I hadn’t seen before — Dakota was hiding behind her grandmother.

Cautiously, she stepped into view, and I could see that just like her clothes, her face was still dirty. But no amount of soil could hide those bright blue eyes and big smile. She was simply adorable. Slowly, she began walking toward me. It wasn’t until she was just inches away that I noticed the folded piece of paper in her tiny hand. Silently, she reached up and handed it to me. Once unfolded, I looked at the drawing she’d made with her broken crayons on the back of an old coloring book cover. It was of two girls — one much taller than the other — and they were holding hands. She told me it was supposed to be me and her, and on the bottom of the paper were three little words that instantly broke my heart: “Please don’t leave”. Now almost in tears, I couldn’t control myself anymore — I bent down and hugged her. She hugged me, too. And for the longest time, neither of us could let go.

I left for home early the next morning. I was returning with muddy boots and holes in my jeans. But because of Dakota, I brought back something else, too — a greater appreciation for all of the blessings of my life. I’ll never forget that barefoot little butterfly with the big smile and dirty face. I pray that she’ll never forget me either.

1. What did the author expect before taking this mission trip?

A．An exciting experience.	B．A special memory.
C．A routine result.	D．A surprising change.

2. From the appearance description of the little girl, we know ________.

A．she was an innocent and lovely child	B．she hoped for a better education
C．she was strong and calm in the inner world	D．she formed a bad living habit

3. The underlined part means that the little girl ________.

A．enjoyed meeting me	B．feared to talk with me
C．desired to approach me	D．resisted accepting me

4. How did the author feel after unfolding the piece of paper?

A．She worried about the little girl’s future.

B．She decided to keep helping the little girl.

C．She felt a greater affection for the little girl.

D．She got surprised at the little girl’s worthless gift.

5. What does the passage mainly tell us?

A．One must learn to share life experiences.

B．One should be more grateful for the gift of life.

C．One often wants to lead a meaningful life.

D．One occasionally benefits from the poverty.

2 . When I graduated from high school, I wanted to major in comparative literature. But, once I found out my friends were going into “real” majors, like marketing, nursing, and engineering, I figured I needed to do the same to ensure a good career. So I changed my mind and chose Business Management as my major. I forced myself to believe that I would enjoy it and succeed in the future, but eventually I exhausted myself understanding the economy and trying new marketing techniques. Coming out of this experience, I realize it is ok to be different from others and to study things like classcs, art history and other majors offered in the College of Humanities（人文学科）!

The   worries   most   people   have   about   a   Humanitie degree   and   finding   a   career afterwards are that the majors are too abstract, and one will not obtain any applicable skills. Actually ideas discussed in Humanities classes, which are occasionally different from what people commonly believe, offer a broad perspective（视角）. How could one effectively be an unbiased（无偏见的）writer with only a knowledge of the popular opinion of society? How could one speak persuasively ith closed minds? Only seeing the world through a single perspective leads to missed learning, missed friendships, and missed growth! With a broader perspective, we wl be more free, more open-minded, and less limited in what we can become!

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) graduates learn actual skills in their studie, while humanities majors learn “soft skills” like communicating effectively through writing critically and speaking persuasively, synthesizing（综合）ideas through gathering and interpreting information, and developing cultural awareness. Do those soft skills sound useless and inapplicable to you? Think of it. How often do you communicate with others? Produce ideas? Encounter people from other cultures? Every day. Every SECOND of every day. So why not master these skills?

If you choose a major in the College of Humanities, you will be needed. The job market is quietly creating thousands of openings a week for people who can bring a humanist’s grace to our rapidly evolving high-tech future. Your skills will be valuable to any workplace you hope to be in. Chase after your dream major with all your energy, no matter what other people think.

1. Why did the author choose Business Management as his major at first?

A．He was tired of learning comparative literature.

B．He came to enjoy learning marketing techniques.

C．He wanted to go to the same university as his friends.

D．He believed Business Management was more practical.

2. According to the author, what is a possible way to gain a broad perspective?

A．Making more friends and learning from them.

B．Exchanging ideas in a philosophy seminar.

C．Opening your mind to future possibilities.

D．Getting to know the popular opinion of society.

3. In which of the following situations do soft skills play the most important role?

A．Writing a software program.

B．Performing a heart operation.

C．Playing a musical instrument.

D．Negotiating with a business partner.

4. The author believes the job market for Humanities graduates is .

A．recovering

B．depressing

C．promising

D．challenging

5. What could be the best title for the passage?

A．Stick to Your Desired major

B．Broaden Your Perspective

C．How to Acquire Soft Skills

D．Humanities vs. STEM

4 . A Game of Light and Shade

It was a sunny day. I had gone up and down the tower when, outside the door at the foot, a blind man came toward me. In a moment, he disappeared up the stairs. I looked at the sign that said “To the Tower”, and decided to _______ him.

I caught up with him in the ticket office. There I was _______ to see the attendant (工作人员) selling him a ticket as if he were any other visitor. Then, with the ticket in one hand and _______ the wall with the fingers of the other, the blind man reached the stairs _________ to the hallway.

“That man is blind. What would a blind man climb up the tower for?” I said to the attendant, expecting him to show some _______, but he didn’t answer.

“Not the _______ certainly,” I said. “Perhaps he wants to _______.”

I bought a ticket and _______ up the stairs. The man hadn’t gone as far as I _______. A third of the way up the tower, I heard his ________. I slowed down and followed him at a little ________. He stopped from time to time. When he got to the balcony, I was a dozen steps ________. As I reached it, I saw him at the corner of the tower.

At last, after ten minutes, I ________ him. “Excuse me,” I said as politely as I could, “but I am curious to know ________ you came up.”

He smiled. “Coming up the stairs, you will notice how not just light but sun ________ into the tower through the narrow windows here and there, so that you can feel the ________ —the cool stairs suddenly become quite warm—and how up here behind the wall there is ________, but as soon as going opposite a window you can find the sun. There is no ________ so good as this for feeling the difference between light and shade. It is not the first time I’ve come up.”

The blind man seemed quite ________ just like a child who was enjoying his favorite games. He told me the truth that blind men can also find the beauty in life ________ they cannot enjoy the sights of the world.

1.

A．accept

B．follow

C．control

D．visit

2.

A．frightened

B．disappointed

C．surprised

D．embarrassed

3.

A．touching

B．climbing

C．hitting

D．covering

4.

A．pointing

B．attaching

C．contributing

D．leading

5.

A．respect

B．doubt

C．concern

D．sympathy

6.

A．view

B．test

C．prize

D．trick

7.

A．kick

B．jump

C．relax

D．escape

8.

A．struggled

B．explored

C．wandered

D．hurried

9.

A．promised

B．examined

C．imagined

D．confirmed

10.

A．steps

B．words

C．secrets

D．cheers

11.

A．standard

B．distance

C．expense

D．intention

12.

A．ahead

B．around

C．outside

D．behind

13.

A．recognized

B．surrounded

C．approached

D．witnessed

14.

A．why

B．how

C．when

D．whether

15.

A．knocks

B．pours

C．slides

D．bursts

16.

A．trend

B．reaction

C．change

D．honor

17.

A．light

B．space

C．mess

D．shade

18.

A．place

B．signal

C．object

D．period

19.

A．nervous

B．content

C．curious

D．patient

20.

A．unless

B．because

C．once

D．although

6 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

The other day, I was driving home, a little upset because I hated working at the weekend. On the way, I decided to grab some veggies in the nearby greengrocer's. Since there was still thin ice on the road, I took a glance at the rear mirror to make sure no pedestrians or vehicles came close, and slowly steered the wheel to the right. Then out of any of my expectancy my car bumped into an electric bike, giving out a harsh metallic clash. I collected myself and saw out of the window screen a teenager lean on one side of the bike, one foot off the ground.

All of a sudden, a familiar scene flashed across my mind.

When I was in high school, I had fun riding my bike along the country road on sweltering and boring afternoons during summer holidays. Sometimes I carried my little brother to the only grocery store in the neighborhood where we could buy our favorite ice cream. Once we had an argument about what to buy. Seeing him leave the store in a temper, I jumped on the bike and tried to talk him into going back. Suddenly, he gave me a push and I inclined towards the middle of the road when a motorbike came in my face. I fell on the ground before I could see anything clearly. Luckily, I didn't get hurt but still couldn^’t rise to my feet. The motorist, a middle-aged man, ignoring his torn jeans, shed to check on me, “Are you okay? Your leg? Your foot?"

“I am all right, but..."I stared at him, terrified because I was sure he would ask for "big" sum of money for compensation. Instead, he just let me go despite his wife's protests. Guilty as I was, I was happy that I was spared. I was really grateful to the man for pardoning a silly kid who had made such a big mistake involuntarily.

注意：1,续写的词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1
Seeing the same fright in the boy's eyes, I quickly got out of my car.
Paragraph 2
The boy offered to give me some money for the damage.

9 . Life is meant to be lived. No excuses. No reservations. No holding back.

An inspiring story about violinist Fritz · Kreisler tells how he once _________ a beautiful violin he wanted to acquire. When he finally _________ the money for the violin, he returned to buy it and learned that it had already been sold to a(n)_________.

He went to the new owner’s home in order to try to _________ him to sell the violin. But the collector said it was one of his _________ possessions and he could not let it go.

Disappointed Kreisler turned to leave, but then _________ a favour. “May I play the instrument once more _________ it is placed to silence？”

_________ was given and the great musician began to play. The violin sang out a piece of quality music, so _________ that the collector himself could only listen in wonderment. “I have no __________ to keep that to myself.” he said after the musician finished. “The violin is yours, Mr. Kreisler. Take it into the world, and let people __________ it.”

William Arthur Ward said, “If you believe in prayer, pray; if you believe in serving, serve; if you believe in giving, give.” For you and I are fine violin—our music is __________ to be heard.

I want to live my life that way—to take it into the world and live it __________. I’d rather burn out than rust out(锈尽). I’d rather be used up than die not having done __________ I can.

I’m not talking about __________ ourselves out on over-activity. Happiness is __________ found in excessive(过度) busyness. But it is found in __________ our lives in others. Say yes when asked for a hand. Volunteer some time for a worthwhile organization and __________ an hour with a lonely relative.

In the end, I know that my __________ is not only about my ability or my inability. It is about my__________. My life is meant to be lived.

1.

A．came over

B．came across

C．came about

D．came up

2.

A．raised

B．found

C．stored

D．provided

3.

A．relative

B．owner

C．merchant

D．collector

4.

A．encourage

B．command

C．persuade

D．remind

5.

A．valueless

B．precious

C．expensive

D．important

6.

A．showed

B．did

C．won

D．asked

7.

A．before

B．unless

C．since

D．until

8.

A．Assistance

B．Price

C．Permission

D．Invitation

9.

A．interesting

B．classical

C．powerful

D．beautiful

10.

A．idea

B．right

C．room

D．sense

11.

A．hear

B．see

C．feel

D．know

12.

A．supported

B．meant

C．valued

D．convinced

13.

A．properly

B．briefly

C．normally

D．fully

14.

A．whichever

B．whenever

C．whatever

D．whoever

15.

A．helping

B．keeping

C．wearing

D．making

16.

A．always

B．never

C．once

D．already

17.

A．devoting

B．changing

C．investing

D．absorbing

18.

A．spend

B．cost

C．take

D．pay

19.

A．business

B．hardness

C．kindness

D．happiness

20.

A．participation

B．existence

C．responsibility

D．difference

10 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

Scientists usually have to do thousands of     1    (experiment)in order to prove something new or true. They often fail,     2     they never give up.

My neighbour     3    (be)a scientist. He studies chemistry. He is always working alone in     4    (he)lab, trying to figure out all the mysteries that make him     5    (puzzle). One day, when I met him, he had just come back     6     work. Tired as he was, he     7    (sound)so excited. Then I noticed that he was wearing shoes     8     did not match. He must have been working too hard to notice that!

Now I have come to realize that it’s good for you     9    (do)a job that interests you. You will be absorbed in it, and push yourself hard with it     10    (happy).